Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1887-08-02
MISCELLANEOUS.
Emperor and Prisoner.

In the grey of an early morning,
during the reign of good Joseph III.
of Australia, a strange scene occurred
in one of the streets of the old city of
Presburg.
The nearly silent street, fianked by
its two rows of tall houses, most of
the blinds and shutters still closing
the windows at that early hour, was
being swept by a gang of convicts,
brought each morning through the
prison gates for the purpose. In the
line of prisoners was an old man
whose hair and beard were white as
silver, and whose ugly uniform did
not wholly hide a certain stateliness
of bearing, which he, however, did
not allow to hinder his work. But in
spite of his prepossessing look and
manner, it was to be noticed that only
he of all his wretched companions
dragged, at his leg, chain weighted
with a heavy bullet. Yet il seemed
impossible to believe that he excelled
in crime the repulsive looking wretch
es about him.
As the work of cleaning the street
progressed, the thoroughfare, in spite
of the early hoir, came at last to have
one passer=by. A tall elderly man
very plainly dressed but wearing a
kind of uniform, advanced along one
of the payements, and as he looked
at the gang of sweepers his eye
quickly singled out the old prisoner.
This observer seemed to notice that
although the white-haired, aged man,
in spite of having the chain and
ball TO drag, managed by sheer exer-
tion to keep up with the others in his
work, the overseer was nearly always
shouting at him in anger, and finding
fault without cause. The spectator
stepped into the road to the old man. s
side.
"What, he asked, "is your crime,
that you are treated in this way3"
The old prisoner, at the sound of a
voice which had in it tone of pity,
looked up and stood still. resting his
broom upon the stones. 1t was y ter
rible story of persecution and cruelty
he had to tell. He belonged to n dis
tant province, and was owner of q
small property of his own, but unfor-
tunately for him, the farm lay on the
skirt of the great estate of Count
-, and this nobleman had fixed an
envious eye upon its scanty fields, as
King Ahad did long before on Ma
both's vineyard. Their owner priced
the spot as having been the home of
his forefathers, refused to sell to the
count. From that hour began his
persecution. One legal process was
served upon him after another, costs
being run mp at every stage. In the
end he was fairly ruined, and was
forced to agree to sell the farm to the
rapacious nobleman, but he bargained
that he was to remain in the house for
one year more. One day soon after
this he was standing at his gate, deep
in grief as his prospect. A wounded
hare unexpectedly ran by, and, with
out thinking what he was doing, he
instinctively raised his stick and put
the poor creature out of its pain. At
that moment the counts servant came
up and arrested him on the spot, and,
although he had not had a finger upon
the hare, he was taken to prison
There he lay for six months before he
was tried and when he was placed
before the judge the influence of the
count secured his being sentenced
for two years imprisonment. In the
meantime his wife and child were
turned out of the house and plunged
into utter poverty.
That, SIR" concluded the aged
prisoner, 4" is my history"
But can this persecution be pos
sible?" asked his sympathizing lis
tener. "Why is your Emperor not
informed of it?''
"Oh," sighed the old man, get
ting his broom again in motion,
/" the Emperor is far away; and be-
sides, in a quarrel with a nobIeman,
a poor man like myself must be in
the wrong"
"I will see the governor of your
prison." was the next remark
Nay, nay, sir, the prisoner has
tened TO say, in a trembling voice,
"pray do not interfere in my behalf.
A person once did so, aud as a result
1 suffered fifty lGshes and have had
to drag this heavy chain. Do not
speak for me, or shall suffer for It. -
Another voice now broke in, speak
ing in loud, harsh tones:
" There you are again, you lazy
fellow, chattering away your time
instead of working. Have you found
another soft-hearted fool to listen to
your whining? Do you wish another
fifty lashes, and a chain and bullet
for your other leg?'
The brutal speaker was the over
seer, and he raised his stick to strike
the old man. Rut the r,entIernar